Agritechnica, even the name sounds a little imposing. The every-other-year event held in Hannover, Germany brings together thousands of international visitors and hundreds of companies with the latest in new products and technology for global agriculture. I've heard plenty about it and after years of attending farm shows in the United States - and even in the United Kingdom - this year I'm finally heading to Germany.

It's never seemed to work out that I can attend this big event, but I'm going to make up for lost time in a big way next week and you can follow along. Starting Monday here in this blog and on the site, I'll be working with a long-time freelancer - Mark Moore - to put together galleries and daily blogs to cover the big event.

My in-box is already filling up with companies that want to get together and Moore and I will be making the rounds. And I'll post impressions, information about the event and more in this blog regularly as the week progresses. We'll try to show you all we can see while there, and hopefully offer you the latest technology from companies that may be eyeing the North American market.

I'm also getting email from U.S. companies that will be on the ground at the big show, and we'll be sure to show you what they're displaying as well.

And the coverage will continue in the weeks following the show as Mark and I pull together some special video coverage from the event as well. Offering you even greater insight into what companies are introducing overseas. The global market for agricultural technology is continues to be strong as food demand rises and companies seek to help producer grow ever more efficient.

So make it a point to join us next week stopping by to check out our galleries and other stories that get posted from the show. As you have probably noticed, we've increased the information available from our galleries to bring you useful details on products or product categories. That's the plan for Agritechnica too, though we may not resist a chance to have a little fun from time to time.

As you wind down harvest (USDA says you're already 73% done this week) get ready for a big data dump of new tech from Agritechnica. And in this blog I'll try to give you the perspective of a first-time visitor who is also a show veteran to give you the flavor of this unique event.

Thanks for reading. And if you have questions during the week, post comments to the blogs and we'll try to find answers.